Petition filed on behalf of Erie crack kingpin

President Barack Obama delivered an early Christmas present to eight prison inmates on Dec. 19 by commuting lengthy prison terms they faced under old laws that harshly penalized crack cocaine offenses.

Supporters of a convicted drug kingpin from Erie serving a life sentence under that past sentencing scheme -- Carl Knight -- are hoping to win a similar reprieve for Knight.

A new petition posted on a White House website called "We the People" is calling for President Barack Obama to commute, or reduce, Knight's 1999 life sentence for distributing nearly $21 million worth of crack.

The petition says Knight, 42, is serving life in prison for a nonviolent offense, which the petitioners call both "extreme and inequitable."